


Perfect Illusions

by Gothic_Lolita



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Comforting T'Challa, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Tony Stark, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, I've Only Seen The First Iron Man and First Avengers, If I Fucked Up Canon I'm Sorry, M/M, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Poor Tony, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Self-Esteem Issues, Tony Stark Has A Heart, a bit of crack, ironpanther, so don't judge me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 09:04:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11437611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothic_Lolita/pseuds/Gothic_Lolita
Summary: After Civil War, Tony is plagued by nightmares. Thankfully his self conscious creates a man to console him every time. But what will he think when he finds out that man is no imagination?





	Perfect Illusions

**Author's Note:**

> I blame this on Oky_Verlo. Honestly, their IronPanther Collection got me into this ship. I thought I was a Stony girl. 'Twas wrong. 'Twas very wrong. IronPanther is where it's at. Also go me for once again putting off a prompt I have yet to complete. I'm great, I know. (I'll take prompts for this ship too) Anyhow, enjoy.

Tony fell into his bed, exhausted. After the Civil War, he had fought to right too many wrongs. He had managed to get the Renegade Avengers pardoned, even Bucky. He had gotten Ross out of office, showing the dickhead's corruption. He had convinced all 117 countries (which was a feat, even for Tony Stark) to see the flaws in the Accords, and fixing them was currently in the works, though Tony knew it would be a long way to get everyone to agree on them. But most of all, and perhaps hardest, he has reassembled the Avengers. There was still tension from grudges held, but overall they got along, new and senior Avengers alike. Of course, it didn't feel completely whole, with Banner and Thor still in the dark, but it was nice. Bucky had officially been purged of what HYDRA did to him, Wanda forgave Tony for essentially grounding her, Rhodey was getting used to his braces, and everyone else was (mostly) sound. They were all in the Avengers Tower currently, even Clint, Scott, and T'Challa, at least until the Accords were sorted out. Everyone who had fought the Civil War, was considered an Avenger to some degree by the media, with the exception of Peter, who Tony had shielded away from everything after the fight out of sheer guilt.

Overall, Tony was just relieved. He was still angry at Bucky, but forgave him, because in the end, it wasn't truly his fault. And sure, he was guilty over dragging Peter into this, just a kid would didn't even understand what he was fighting for. But overall, Tony could honestly say he was relieved. Relieved that it was over.

Tony pulled the covers over himself, and curled onto his side, overjoyed to finally fall asleep. His breathing slowed, and the world of dreams took him.

 

* * *

 

Tony woke up in a panic. He was shaking, his body glistening with a cold sweat. He had had a nightmare, about Afghanistan. He had nightmares about various things, but Afghanistan was always the recurring one.

Tony gasped for breath. His chest hurt, his lungs can't seem to function. His body shakes and tremors violently, he can't even think.  He thrashes desperately, as if trying to fight his inner demons. He's hallucinating gunshots and pain wracking his body.

Tony doesn't hear his bedroom door open, so when someone grabs him, he assumes it's a hallucination of the soldiers who grabbed him and dragged him into his cell. So he screams and desperately fights.

Tony's confused when the grip on him seems to be gentle and soothing instead of rough and demanding. Tony was positive he was hallucinating when the unknown person climbed into his bed and held him tight to their chest, running their fingers through Tony's sweaty hair. No one had ever been this gentle and nice to Tony in a long time. It had to be too good to be true. Tony's mind had to be creating some sort of new coping method to handle his panic attacks. This was just too good to be true.

The person shh'd Tony and held the billionaire tight, rubbing his back and carding their fingers through Tony's hair repeatedly. Tony eventually calmed down, he was still shaking slightly however. He whimpered and buried his face into the shoulder of his imaginary caretaker.

Tony's mind seemed to have created a man, who was warm and seemed to have a muscular frame. Tony buried his fingers into the fake man's shirt, clinging to him. Tony breathed in deep. His subconscious really went all out, the person even smelled comforting.

It wasn't long before Tony was soothed back to sleep, letting his body relax in the arms of a false heaven.

 

* * *

 

Tony woke up alone. Which wasn't at all unusual (despite what the tabloids said, Tony had stopped dragging women and men into bed by 25), but he was still slightly depressed by it. He supposed that he had been hoping against hope that maybe the figment of his mind from last night might be a real man, who he would wake up next to and would make him feel happiness and joy, and all that couple-y stuff.

Tony sighed and pulled himself out of bed grudgingly. He used his private shower to take a five minute shower, then had himself dressed and on his way to the kitchen within ten more minutes.

Tony walked in to find a few other early risers of the Avengers milling around, and (thank god) a pot of coffee already brewed. Tony grabbed a cup, filled it, and leaned against the counter to enjoy his coffee. Currently he was accompanied by Natasha, T'Challa, Steve, and Vision.

"Good morning, Tony." Vision greeted with a smile. Tony grunted in response and nodded to the andriod.

"Did you sleep well, Mr. Stark?" T'Challa asked, his voice as formal as ever.

Tony snorted. "I slept, which right now is a freaking gift from above, so I really have no room to complain."

Natasha laughed and nodded in agreement.

 

 

It became a common thing. Every time Tony jerked awake with a nightmare and had a panic attack, his imaginary comforter was there. Some times he took longer than others, but the figment always made his way to Tony. As twisted as it seemed, Tony almost wished to have nightmares every night, instead of once or twice a week, just to feel those warm arms hold him, no matter how fake they may be. Tony was a lonely man, and in those moments, he didn't feel alone.

Tonight had been a particularly bad nightmare. Once again, it was fucking Afghanistan, but it was more violent, almost identical to what had happened. It had taken every bad thing that had happened to Tony during that awful experience and rolled them into one, repeating them again and again.

When Tony's figment finally showed up, Tony was screaming and fighting so bad he was grateful for once that it wasn't a real person, because he was sure he ad landed a few painful hits before he was calmed down. Even when Tony stopped swinging and screaming, he still shook and cried in the arms of his fabrication.

It was an hour of calming Tony down before he finally felt sleep start to grip him again, at last.

" _Ti amo, tesoro_." Tony mumbled into the skin of his comforter. If they weren't even real to begin with, Tony had every fucking right to love them. He could love the person who held him through his worst moments, no matter how valid their existence was.

 

* * *

 

T'Challa sighed with relief when Tony was lulled to sleep, finally. Tonight had been rough, rougher than most. He was glad he could help the man through his troubles, even if it was late, when the night cloaked his identity.

T'Challa honestly hadn't meant to start... whatever this was to be called. It had happened one night when insomnia had gripped him. He was wondering the Tower, hoping to walk off his troubles. Out of pure luck, he had been close enough to Tony's private room, when he had the first panic attack T'Challa helped him through. The AI, Friday, had notified him of it, begging T'Challa to help her creator. AI or not, T'Challa couldn't ignore the urgency in her voice, especially as it concerned Tony Stark.

T'Challa would always leave once he was positive Tony was soundly asleep, considering his job complete. After questioning Friday, T'Challa discovered these night terrors were all too common for the genuis. Tony had never been comforted through them, and Friday had only asked T'Challa because he had been close by. With more pressing of Friday, T'Challa learned the source of some of Tony's anxieties. His stomach twisted when he thought about the hardships and pain Tony must've endured during his time of captivity in Afghanistan. T'Challa had asked Friday a few other things, like if Tony ever mentioned the nightly visits. He was surprised to learn that the genius hadn't spoken a word of them to anyone, hadn't even asked Friday who it was or how they got in.

He wondered if Tony knew it was him. Tony Stark after all, was a genius. T'Challa wondered if Tony even cared who it was comforting him at night, or just enjoyed the company. More badgering of Friday revealed Tony didn't really have much of that. T'Challa was happy and humbled to be a source of companionship to the hero.

T'Challa couldn't deny it to himself, he felt something with Tony. A spark, a flicker in his soul that made the Panther want to hunt and chase Tony, to claim him for the king. Tony was intelligent beyond words, far beyond anyone T'Challa had ever met. But he was also as kind as he was smart. Even when the other Avengers misread Tony's actions, they still remained true. No matter what he faced, Tony always fought to protect the world, and was willing to be held accountable when he failed it. He was a true hero, and T'Challa would lodge his claws into the throat of anyone who dared to disagree. There were times when Tony seemed like he was chosen by the gods to be the bringer of hope and justice. No matter what past he had, no matter how his father had treated him (more information T'Challa coerced out of Friday), no matter how Tony fell, he always rose like the phoenix. And of course he was sinfully handsome. That was also a nice plus of Tony Stark.

Honestly, it all added up. T'Challa couldn't understand how the world didn't use Tony Stark as the poster child for the perfect man. Because Tony truly was that, in every way, T'Challa was absolutely sure of it.

And what Tony had said. Tony had never spoken during these nights before, aside from terrified screaming of nonsense. While T'Challa didn't know Italian, he was somewhat familiar with Spanish and knew the languages were similar. From that knowledge he could at least deduce the meaning of 'ti amo' translating to 'I love you'. He didn't know what 'tesoro' meant, but logic led him to believe it was an endearment of some sort. He would have to ask Friday. Still, the thought of Tony saying he loved T'Challa filled him with both joy and anxiety. He had feelings for Tony, and would be enthralled to know that Tony returned them, but at the same time, it was in no way confirmed if Tony knew his comforter was T'Challa. Would he still mean what he said if he knew that he had said it to the Wakandan? The thought plagued the king.

 

T'Challa yawned. Now would usually be the time that he departed, but Morpheus pulled him to sleep. T'Challa knew it was risky to sleep with Tony, especially if Tony didn't know it was him. He could ruin what he was trying to do for Tony. But exhaustion persisted, and T'Challa decided a few hours of sleep with this perfect man wouldn't hurt. He would be up and out before Tony awoke, he told himself. T'Challa closed his eyes, and let his dreams take him.

 

* * *

 

T'Challa woke up, refreshed. He was content. A sleeping, perfect man in his arms, and a good night's rest in his past. What more could he ask for?

Unfortunately the king's perfect moment was short lived. He froze with horror when he realized how early it was. It was about the time Tony would rouse, or at the least the other Avengers. Making his way out of Tony's way would be next to impossible.

Tony groaned and shifted. T'Challa felt his heart pound with anxiety. In a split second he made the decision to stay, and let Tony awake in his arms, and hoped for the best.

Tony's face scrunched up as he slowly pulled himself out of sleep. T'Challa found himself running his fingers through Tony's hair, soothing Tony into the world of awake.

Tony blinked a few times, getting used to his surroundings for a moment. T'Challa held his breath, waiting for Tony's reaction to his presence anxiously.

Tony looked up at T'Challa and frowned with confusion. "I... wha... hm?" Tony tried to form a coherent sentence, his voice heavy with sleep. T'Challa smiled, it was charming.

"Good morning." T'Challa greeted formally, not sure what else to say.

Tony scowled slightly. "I'm still dreaming. That is the only explanation. I'm fucking asleep." Tony sighed and yawned. "Might as well enjoy it." He mumbled then buried his face back into T'Challa's shoulder.

The king chuckled. "I can assure you, this is no dream, Mr. Stark." He felt strange to address Tony that way in such an intimate position, but he had never called the man by his first name before.

Tony growled. "Sh, be quiet, Dream T'Challa. I'm trying to enjoy this."

"Mr. Stark, I in no way wish to prevent you from enjoying this, as you are more than welcome to do so, but I promise you I am no dream." T'Challa persisted gently.

Tony snorted. "Yeah, because having a gorgeous, powerful king in my bed cuddling with me is just _ **so**_  believable to be reality." He said sarcastically.

T'Challa laughed, causing Tony to growl at him again. "Hey, Dream T'Challa, stop moving. Dream Tony is comfortable." Tony insisted.

T'Challa sighed and rolled his eyes. "Mr. Stark, this is not a dream. How can I convince you of that?"

Tony pulled away and eyed the Wakandan suspiciously. "Friday, am I dreaming?" He asked the AI.

"You are definitely awake, boss." The female voice replied cheerily.

Tony 'hmph'd.  "Well then that settles it." Tony said. Before T'Challa could ask, Tony spoke again. "I've officially lost my marbles." The billionaire declared.

T'Challa startled at that. "Why on earth would you say that, Mr. Stark?"

Tony snorted. "For the love of Thor, you're in my damned bed, you can call me by my first name you know." He continued. "Because first my mind creates a figment as a coping method to handle the nightmares, which honestly, I was **_perfectly_ ** okay with. But now it embodies that imagination into fucking ** _you_** , the king of Wakanda, and one of the hottest guys I've ever met, and I'm just supposed to believe it's real?" Tony asked incredulously, pulling himself out of bed and heading for his bathroom.

T'Challa sighed and followed Tony. "How can I make you believe me?" He asks. "Honestly, I was out and about one night, and happened to pass you by your quarters as you were having a panic attack. Friday begged for me to help you, and I felt obliged to do so. Since that night I asked Friday to alert me whenever it happened again, so I could aide you. Friday can confirm this." T'Challa insisted.

The mechanical voice chimed in again. "He's telling the truth, boss."

Tony paused and looked back to T'Challa, seeming to consider it. Then he smiled dryly. "Nope, sorry imaginary king."

"Why won't you believe me?" T'Challa exclaimed.

Tony snorted. "Like I said, too good to be true, kitty cat."

T'Challa grabbed Tony's head, both palms cupping either side of Tony's handsome face. "Anthony Edward Stark." He said firmly. "I can assure you, I am not imaginary. You are not going mad."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Here. I'll prove it. Friday, please summon T'Challa to my quarters."

"I can't boss, he's already here." Friday replied.

Tony scowled at that. "But..." He trailed off.

T'Chall sighed and looked into Tony's chocolate eyes. "Do you believe me now, _zintanda?_ " He said with a slight smile.

Tony paused, thinking. "Friday, translate zin-whatever he just said."

"' _Zintanda_ ', a Wakandan word, translated to English, has roughly the same meaning as 'beloved'. " Friday stated. Tony's cheeks turned pink at the meaning of the word.

The king smiled. "If I were in fact, not real, your mind would not have been able to come up with a Wakandan word it doesn't know." He pointed out.

Tony scowled at that logic. "But why would you call me beloved?" He asked, his voice small.

T'Challa paused. "Friday, translate ' _tesoro_ '."

"' _Tesoro_ ', an Italian word, roughly translating to 'sweetheart' or 'treasured'. Boss often uses the second translation of it as it's meaning." Friday told.

T'Challa smiled when Tony's cheeks turned red, the genius knowing exactly why the king had asked to translation of that specific word. "Why would _ **you**_ call _**me**_ treasured, and furthermore, say you love me?" He retorted smoothly.

Tony let out a noise of frustration. "I thought you were a figment of my subconscious!" He snapped. "I didn't.. didn't know you..." He trailed off, looking close to tears.

"Shh, _zintanda_." T'Challa soothed, kissing Tony's forehead. "I understand."

Tony only sighed and hugged T'Challa, not responding.

"Tony, now that you know that your nightly visitor is me... do you still mean the words you said?" T'Challa asked. "I will not be offended if you do not, I understand."

Tony seemed to be thinking as he rested his head against T'Challa's chest. T'Challa ran his fingers through Tony's hair. "Yes." Tony whispered softly. "I... No one has cared enough about me before to be willing to wake up in the middle of the night every time I needed it. Hell, not a lot of people even bother to ask if I'm okay, how I feel. No one has ever done that for me. So yes, it's not hard for me to fall in love with you." He admitted softly. The Panther within T'Challa stirred with anger at the thought of people brushing off Tony like that, and the thought that no one had ever truly loved Tony Stark in the way he deserved.

"Tony, I can promise you, if you want it, I am willing to prove to you that what I've done for you thus far is only a fraction of what I will give you if you accept my love for you. I promise, you will never feel alone ever again. You will never have to hold your feelings within you. You will never be brushed off. I promise you, I will give you all my devotion." T'Challa said firmly.

Tony was silent, then spoke finally. "Why?" He whispered. "Why bother with me? I'm just a self centered rich boy with problems I try to solve by beating people up with a metal suit." He said bitterly.

T'Challa shook his head. " ** _Lies_**." He hissed. "Anyone who says that is full of slanderous lies." He insisted. "You have the largest heart of any man I've ever met. You were the first of the Avengers to be firm in your decision to sign the Accords no matter the restrictions because you knew it was only right to be held accountable for your actions, no matter what. Despite having no enhancements, you still risk your life to save a world you refuse to give up on. You use your mind as your most powerful weapon, and that is truly beautiful in itself. You may face demons, but they only make you more determined to fight for what is right, making you indescribably strong. If you fall, you rise even stronger. If the rules tell you that you cannot save the world, you break the rules, even if you were the one who made them in the first place. You are truly a beautiful soul, _zintanda_ . And I am in love with you for it." T'Challa said, letting his minds roam free, and letting his tongue speak it.

Tony shuddered and clung to T'Challa. "I don't deserve you." Tony mumbled.

T'Challa shook his head and laughed sadly. "Oh _zintanda_ , if only you could see how wrong you are with those vile words."

"T'Challa..." Tony started.

"Yes, Tony?" T'Challa asked softly.

"I... I want you. I want to prove I can be good enough for you, even if I can't, I want to fight to be. I... _Ti amo, tesoro_." Tony whispered against T'Challa's skin.

T'Challa smiled and felt his heart warm, the Panther within him roared with approval. " _Ndiyakuthanda, zintanda_." He replied. Tony didn't seem to need a translation to understand what T'Challa had said. 'I love you' no matter the language, was perhaps one of the most understandable and recognizable phrases, because of the emotion used when it was said, T'Challa thought.

Tony looked up at the king,  _ **his**_  king. T'Challa stopped running his fingers through Tony's soft hair, and cupped his perfect face. T'Challa slowly leaned forward, giving Tony enough time to pull away if he didn't want it. Instead Tony leaned forward as well, and T'Challa had the privilege of feeling the best kiss he had ever experienced press against his lips. And with the genius in his arms, the king was positive the moment was faultless.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my longest one-shot thus far, I'm proud of myself. I had a much smuttier version of this in my head, but made it PG for the kiddies. (oh and if translations are wrong, blame Google Translate. #AlwaysBlameGoogleTranslate. I used Xhosa as Wakandan, because that's what the movie uses)


End file.
